Are you an author based in east-central Canada?
Have you just written a book and want to get it published?
Below you’ll find 17 top book publishing companies in Ontario.
1. Book*hug
Book*hug was established in 2004 and publishes works of literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry collections, literature in translation, and drama. They are a Canadian publishing company that believes in supporting Canadian authors and are deeply involved with the CanLit program. Some of their titles include “We All Need to Eat” by Alex Leslie, “The Ritualites” by Michael Nardone, and “Notes from a Feminist Killjoy” by Erin Wunker.
They are currently open to submissions, but note that they do not publish genre fiction, cookbooks, or self-help guides. The team at Book*hug is especially interested in working with first-time authors, Authors of color, Indigenous writers, writers of the LGBTQ+ community, deaf and disabled writers, and female-identifying writers. For more information on their submission guidelines, click here.
2. ChiZine Publications
ChiZine Publications initially started out as an online magazine (also known as a webzine), but has since expanded into publishing books in both ebook and print formats. They like to work with authors who have written works that are a little out there, namely disturbing horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Some of their titles include “Mutilation Song” by Jason Hrivnak, “Sisters in Sorrow” by Rachael Robie, and “Machineries of Mercy” by Tim Major.
They are unfortunately closed to submissions at this time, but encourage you to check back at a later date. In the meantime, you can check out their catalogue of published works.
3. Clockwise Press
Clockwise Press is a Canadian independent publishing company that produces works of young adult and children’s stories, with specific interest in works that revolve around topics of diversity, inclusion, and global awareness. Some of their titles include “Stay Silent: A Refugee’s Escape from Colombia” by Natalie Hyde, “Missing Nimama” by Melanie Florence, and “By the Time you Read this” by award-winning author Jennifer Lanthier.
Clockwise Press is currently open to submissions, but strongly encourage you to review their submissions guidelines before proceeding to send a query letter. They ask that you only send queries via email. All hard-copy queries sent via mail will be discarded. They are currently interested in works about Aboriginal themes, social issues, global themes of diversity, and animal welfare. They are not currently interested in historical fiction or nonfiction, picture books with rhyming text, or seasonal stories.
4. Cormorant Books
Cormorant Books was founded by Jan and Gary Geddes in Dunvegan, Ontario. The publish works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry collections. Some of their titles include “And Beauty Answers’ by Elspeth Cameron, “Advocate” by Darren Greer, and “Wild and Beautiful Is the Night” by John Miller.
They are currently accepting submissions for literary fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, but only accept submissions from Canadian authors. You should first send a query letter via email. They ask that you include your name, a brief description about your work, a brief author bio, a writer’s resume with regards to any previously published works, and your contact information. For more details about their submission guidelines, click here.
5. Firefly Books
Founded in 1977, Firefly Books is a publishing company that caters to the Canadian and US literary markets. The primarily publish books of nonfiction targeted at both adult and younger audiences. Some of their titles include “A Child’s Portrait of Shakespeare” by Lois Burdett, “A Little Book of Slime” by Clint Twist, and “Emily Carr: An Introduction to Her Life and Art” by Anne Newlands.
Firefly Books does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. However, if you are an author with literary representation, you can request that your literary agent get in contact with Firefly Books’ editorial department and send a query letter. For more of Firefly Books’ contact information, click here.
6. Inanna Publications
Inanna Publications is a self-identifying Canadian feminist press that publishes works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction by women for women. Some of their titles include “The Old Songs” by Madeline Coopsammy, “Krambambuli” by Syr Ruus, and “Side by Side” by Anita Kushwaha. Founded in 1978, Inanna Publications has dedicated themselves to producing books to help educate and reach the larger global community of women.
They are currently accepting book proposals and submissions, but as that you only submit a fully completed manuscript for their review. You can send your submission via email, and they ask that you review their submission guidelines before proceeding.
7. Invisible Publishing
Invisible Publishing is a Canadian publishing company that produces works of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Media Development Corporation. They also happen to be members of the Association of Canadian Publishers, the Ontario Book Publishers Organization, and the Literary Press Group of Canada. Some of their titles include “The Magpie” by Douglas Durkin, “This Keeps Happening” by H.B. Hogan, and “Port of Being” by Shazia Hafiz Ramji.
They are currently accepting literary submissions and are especially interested in working with authors from a diverse background, including indigenous writers, writers of color, and LGBTQ+ writers. They ask that you submit your manuscript via email, and strongly encourage you to refer to their submission guidelines.
8. Latitude 46 Publishing
Established in 2015, Latitude 46 primarily publishes nonfiction works about Canadian topics by Canadian authors. Some of their titles include “150 Years Up North and More’ by Karen McCauley, “The Wintermen II” by Brit Griffin, and “Watermark” by Jennifer Farquhar. They are currently accepting submissions and strongly encourage you to review their submission guidelines before sending them a quick message via their website’s online contact form.
9. Mosaic Press
Founded in 1975, Mosaic Press is a Canadian publisher that strives to promote writing by fellow Canadians. They are supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Government of Canada, and the Ontario Arts Council. They publish nonfiction books about a wide range of topics from Asian studies to visual arts. Some of their titles include “A Matter of Geography” by Jasmine D’Costa, “After Hours” by Darrell Epp, and “An Act of Injustice’ by Ray Argyle.
They are currently accepting book proposals and submissions via their online contact form. Be sure to mention the title of your book, it’s subject matter, the approximate length of your manuscript, provide your contact information, a brief author bio, and a summary of what your book is about. If they’re interested in you project, they should reach out to you shortly.
10. Wolsak & Wynn
Wolsak & Wynn is a small independent publishing company that’s supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Canada, and the Canada Council for the Arts. The publish works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry collections. Some of their titles include “From My Mother’s Back” by Njoki Wane, “Some of Us and Most of You Are Dead” by Peter Norman, and “The Grimoire of Kensington Market’ by Lauren B. Davis.
This publishing company has a set period of time when they are open for submissions, being January 1st to March 31st every year. While they do accept manuscripts from non-Canadian authors, they do have a preference towards Canadian authors because they wish to promote the Canadian literary field. They accept submission via mail only, and they ask that you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) if you would like your material returned to you. You can read more about their submission guidelines here.
11. Mawenzi House Publishers
Mawenzi House Publishers was founded in 1981 and publishes books that reflect the diverse populations of both Canada and the USA. They’re a small independent publishing house, so they only publish under ten titles every year. Some of their past titles include “Adrift” by Loren Edizel and “Echoes from the Other Land” by Ava Homa. They really like to work with authors from a diverse background, including writers of color, female-identifying writers, and writers of the LGBTQ+ community.
They are currently accepting submissions, but only from represented authors. If you’re an author with a literary agent, you can have them send a query letter on your behalf to the Mawenzi editorial team via email.
12. Crabtree Publishing
Crabtree Publishing is a Canadian publishing company that specializes in producing educational books for children, middle graders, and young adults. With over 35 years in the publishing industry, they have produced series about science, history, arts, and more. If you’re interested in working with the Crabtree Publishing team, you can first send a book proposal to them via their website’s online contact form. If they’re interested in your project, they will reach out to you promptly. If you are a represented author, you can also have your literary agent contact the publishing house on your behalf.
13. Another Chapter Publishing
Based out of Kanata, Ontario, Another Chapter Publishing is a small independent publishing house that specializes in publishing works of illustrated children’s stories and juvenile fiction. Some of their titles include “Cleano-Bot” by Rob Justus and “Don’t Push the Buttons on the Microwave” by Lisa Lutes. They publish books in both French and English.
They are unfortunately not accepting unsolicited manuscripts at this time, but strongly encourage you to check back at a later date. If you’re an author or illustrator who has a project of juvenile nonfiction, picture books for early readers, and middle grade fiction, they would love to hear from you!
14. Biblioasis
Based out of Windsor, Ontario, Biblioasis published works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Some of their titles include “1979” by Ray Robertson, “A Few Things You Should Know About the Weasel” by David Starkey, and “Afterward” by Edith Wharton. Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, an the Ontario Arts Council, Biblioasis has a history of producing engaging and interesting works.
If you’re interested in working with the team at Biblioasis, they first strongly urge interested authors to review their detailed submission guidelines, found here. They are currently open to submissions and prefer to have submissions delivered to them via email to save paper. If you have general questions, you can also contact them via email. Due to the high volume of submissions that they receive, they ask that you allow up to several months to hear back before following up on your submission.
15. Coach House Books
With a special interest in publishing innovative fiction, poetry, film and drama, and select nonfiction works, Coach House Books has been in the publishing industry since 1965. They’ve published titles like “The Embalmer” by Anne-Renée Caillé and “The Supreme Orchestra” by David Turgeon. They do not publish cookbooks, children’s books, historical romances, fantasy, self-help books, memoirs, mysteries, or science fiction.
They are currently open for submissions, but note that they only publish Canadian authors. As a Canadian-owned independent publishing company, the team at Coach House Books strongly believes in promoting and helping fellow Canadian writers. They ask that you review their submissions guidelines before proceeding. You can send your submission via email.
16. Pembroke Publishers
Founded in 1985, Pembroke Publishers specializes in producing practical books for the purposes of teaching and learning. They publish books in both ebook and print formats to help their authors reach a wider audience, regardless of what reading medium they prefer. Some of their titles include “Not Light, But Fire” by Matthew R. Kay, and “10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know” by Jeff Anderson.
They strongly encourage authors to check out their catalogue of books before submitting a book proposal, as they are after a very specific type of nonfiction in the realm of educational material. If you’re interested in working with Pembroke Publishers, you can contact them via their website’s online contact form and submit a book proposal. Be sure to mention the title and subject matter of your book, the approximate length of your manuscript, provide your contact information and brief author bio. If they’re interested in your project, they should reach out to you shortly.
17. Lorimer
Lormier is a Canadian publishing company with three very distinct branches – adult books, books for children and teens in Canada, and books for children and teens in the USA. They publish books in a wide range of subject matter and genres. Some of their adult titles include “The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster” by Bruce Campbell and “Restoration” by Ted Griffith.
They are actively in search of new authors to work with and carefully consider every submission that they receive. If you’re interested in working with Lorimer, it’s advisable that you check out their specific publishing departments depending on whether you have a story targeted at a more mature audience or if it’s intended for younger readers. You can find out more about their general submission guidelines here. All submission should be sent via mail.
Are you aware of any other book publishing companies in Ontario? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
K. Z. Kwan is a freelance writer based out of Halifax, Canada.